The focus on cultural fights in education has continued as Republicans gear up for primary battles to come. Polls show the messages have galvanized conservatives and hold some potential appeal to independents and Democrats, depending on the particular policy involved.
K-12 public schools risk losing escalating amounts of state funding with each violation for not keeping exterior doors locked under the sweeping changes that Gov. Bill Lee has proposed for school safety.
Big bucks could be headed toward academic acceleration, special education and Title I schools in the 2024 education budget unveiled by President Joe Biden this week—but its outlook is dim in the face of a Republican-controlled House of Representatives and a sharply divided Congress.
No one showed up at public hearings Tuesday to support legislative proposals that would give Nebraska’s Republican governor more control over the state’s K-12 policies, while many people testified against the measures, with most citing a fear of politicizing basic education protocols.
Mississippi Senate leaders are pushing to rewrite the state’s education budget formula, which has only fully funded public schools twice since it was put into law in 1997.
When House Speaker Kevin McCarthy introduced in the Republican-controlled chamber his "Parents Bill of Rights Act," he made good on a major GOP campaign pledge to elevate the role of parental control in public schools across the country.
House Bill 538 would allow teachers in Kentucky to immediately remove disruptive students from the classroom with no possibility of returning without an agreement from the teacher and a school administrator.
Texas should explore requiring schools to have at least one armed person on each campus, a Republican lawmaker said Tuesday. Some Republicans say hardening schools — through facility upgrades and arming staff — could be a solution to making schools safer after Uvalde.
“Exposure to such topics is inappropriate for children, creating confusion which may then cause doubt in their identities,” said Rep. Ann Kelley, a former teacher and the Republican sponsor of the Missouri bill. “It is not the place of the school to indoctrinate our children by exposing them to gender and sexual identity curriculums and courses.”
